Writing organisations: Who is on your side?
Finding your allies in the world of publishing
Writing is for the most part a solitary experience. It can be isolating as a writer works alone on their manuscript in front of a computer screen, or whilst doing research for their books or building up ideas for future projects. However, you are not alone—publishing is an extremely collegial and supportive arena to be stepping into. Finding a community and more importantly finding your personal tribe is essential in an industry which is ever-changing and ever growing. Finding your allies and associates who can help you grow as a writer and grow your career is important for long-term success on a journey which comes with many ups and downs. One way to help is to find and use the correct writing organisations to make the ride easier.
Different writing organisations cater to different facets of the writer’s needs as one makes their way through the industry. Some of these organisation do fall into more than one camp, but I have tried to separate them into three main groups.
Craft of writing
These are organisations who are devoted to helping writers improve their writing craft, e.g. improving voice, dialogue and characterisation as well as the general execution of writing in a variety of different genres and age groups. These organisations runs courses, workshops and even festivals to help writers improve their writing:
The writing development agencies across the country are also highly invaluable for helping with writing support and offers a range of support for aspiring writers at different stages.
Spread the Word (London)
Literature Works (South West)
Writing East Midlands (East Midlands)
Writing West Midlands (West Midlands)
New Writing South (South East)
New Writing North (North of England)
Learning about the industry
These are organisations dedicated to providing writers with insight into how the industry works. They provide seminars and workshops to educate people on how publishing functions, for example: how to get published, how to get an agent, marketing/publicity for authors amongst more. These organisations include:
Business side of writing
These are organisations who are devoted to helping writers with the nitty-gritty side of publishing; this includes advice about rights, contracts with agents and publishers and managing finances and dealing. Some examples include:
In conclusion, most of these organisations provide additional resources, newsletters and blogs on their websites for writers to learn more about different aspects of writing and the wider publishing industry. Writing organisations are here to help writers find their safe spaces to express themselves, improve their work and ask all the relevant questions and get the right answers.
Thank you for reading Writersphere and I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. Please do share this newsletter with those you think will enjoy.
— Davina Tijani (@dee_tijani)